‘Tis the season to stock up on your pickled fish ingredients and start prepping for the Easter Weekend.
Easter was the first religious holiday we had to celebrate under lockdown last year.
No church on Good Friday, no Easter egg hunts for the laaities outside with their friends and for many of us, no family gatherings and long weekend getaways.
This year things look a little different, and although we are allowed to visit our families and enjoy holidays again, the virus is still with us so we must continue to mask up and be safe.
Oral waar jy kyk is daar ‘n Easter egg special hier, en ‘n hake en kreef connection daar.
Every family has that one kerrievis extraordinaire who’s responsible for making everyone’s pickled fish because “haar vis kom altyd lekker”.
That’s usually the same antie wie se vis al ‘n week voor die tyd ingele is and she has to watch the rest of the huismense like a hawk to make sure they're not helping themselves to a stukkie vis before Good Friday.
For me the perfect pickled fish dish must have the right combination of sweet and sour, so don’t get too excited with the asyn asseblief.
And also don’t be shy with your onions, aside from the fish itself, onions are another essential ingredient.
The last thing I look at is the colour, sometimes the wrong curry powder can make your vis look vaal en bruin.
I love that signature bright yellow colour wat jou hande en jou klere soms lekker stain if you’re not careful.
Of course not everyone likes the idea of eating cold fish soaked in a bak asyn so there's always the option to have a lekker fish braai or enjoy any other seafood dish.
I’ve selected a lekker range of seafood recipes which you can add to your table next week.
Sharon Kube's Pickled Fish- Daily Voice Picked Fish competition winner
Ingredients
4 medium size onions
½ bottle white vinegar
½ packet pickled fish spice
¼ packet fish masala
½ cup sugar
5 sprig of bay leaves
½ teaspoon of salt
½ bottle fish oil
½ cup flour
4 pieces of stockfish
3 pieces of yellowtail
Method
In a saucepan, put in your peeled and washed onion rings. Add your vinegar, pickled fish spice, fish masala, sugar, bay leaves, salt.
Boil until tender
In the meantime, while the sauce is cooking.
Take your drained fish.
Place on fish board and sprinkle with salt.
Take your flour and fish masala, mix together.
Dip the fish into flour mixture.
Then fry fish into piping hot fish oil, till fish is golden brown.
When done, place into glass bowl and layer with onion mixture when cool.
Place in refrigerator.
Pickled Fish
Farzana Kumandan @sprinklesandspicect
Ingredients
For the Fish
1kg hake or snoek
(If you using fresh hake, freeze it for at least a day before thawing and using.. It holds better)
Wash, rinse and drain fish of all excess water.
Sprinkle over a little salt
Masala for fish
1 heaped teaspoon garlic flakes
1 heaped teaspoon jeera
1 level teaspoon koljana / coriander
1 teaspoon kashmiri chili powder
1 level teaspoon salt
Method
Mix spices with a little water to make a thick paste and rub on fish.
Dip/coat masala fish in a mixture of ½ cup self raising flour and 1 tablespoon cornflour.
Fry in medium/hot oil for 4 minutes per side.
Allow to drain roller towel
For the pickled onions
Ingredients
7 large onions peeled and sliced into thick rings
1½ cups of brown vinegar
½ cup water
½ cup brown sugar
5 bay leaves
1 teaspoon peppercorns
1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
1 level teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons tumeric
2 heaped tablespoons raja hot curry
¼ cup apricot jam
¼ cup mrs balls chutney
Method
In a large pot over a medium heat bring all the above ingredients to a slow boil. (except the onions)
Once boiling add the onions and mix well to ensure all the onions are well coated.
Bring to boil once again, reduce heat and simmer over a medium heat for 7 minutes.
Mixture should be thick and bubbly.
Place your fish in a glass pyrex and spoon over the onions and picked sauce.
Once cooled completely, refrigerate....and enjoy
Crayfish in a cream sauce
Spice Mecca
Ingredients
2 tbsp Spice Mecca South Indian seafood masala
1 tbsp crushed garlic
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp oil
1 lemon, juice and zest
2 large onions, finely chopped
About 50g butter
2 tsp tomato paste
¼ cup of water
1 kg crayfish tails, trimmed and cut lengthwise
250 ml fresh cream
Method
Make a paste with masala, garlic paste, salt, oil and lemon juice and zest. Marinate the crayfish.
Saute onions in butter until golden brown.
Stir in tomato paste and water and cook for about 5 minutes.
Add crayfish and cook for about 10 -15 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in fresh cream.
Serve on a bed of saffron rice garnished with coriander.
Snoek with apricot jam
Cooking from the heart
Ingredients
¼ cup (60 ml) chutney
1 Tbsp (15 ml) apricot jam
1 tsp (5 ml) ground cumin
2 Tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice
1 Tbsp (15 ml) sunflower oil
½ tsp (2,5 ml) salt
black pepper to taste
1,2 kg whole fresh snoek or line fish, head removed and butterflied
Method
1. Mix chutney, jam, cumin, lemon juice, half the oil and salt. Season with pepper.
2. Brush a braai grid with the rest of the oil and place fish, with the skin side on the grid.
3. Brush fish with jam mixture. Braai for 15-20 minutes over medium coals with the skin side down.
4. Turn over and brown for a few minutes or until the fish flakes easily. Take care not to burn or overcook the fish.
5. Serve with baked sweet potato and a green salad.
Tip
1. To bake in the oven, brush a large piece of foil with half the oil. Place fish on foil in an oven dish and brush fish as above. Bake at 180 °C for 20 minutes or until cooked. The top of the fish will brown in the oven.
Seafood Curry
Spice Mecca
Ingredients
1 tin (400ml) coconut milk½
tin (200g) tomato puree
½ tsp tomato paste
1-2 tsp salt
2 heaped tbsp
Spice Mecca South Indian Seafood Curry Masala
2 medium onions chopped
3-4 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp garlic paste
1kg fish/prawns/crayfish
½ cup (125ml) water (if required)
Method
Liquidise the coconut milk, tomato puree, paste, salt and Spice Mecca South Indian Seafood Curry Masala.
Braise onions in oil until golden brown.
Add garlic paste and fry for 2-3 minutes.
Add liquids and cook for 15-20 minutes on medium heat until the sauce thickens.
Stir occasionally. Add water, if required.
Add fish or seafood and cook for a further 10-15 minutes.
Garnish with freshly chopped green coriander.
Serve with basmati rice and sambals.
dailyvoice@inl.co.za